title: Effectiveness of an integrated ward-based program in preparing medical students to care for patients at the end of life.
abstract: Integrating end-of-life care training into the clinical years of medical school has been promoted to enhance education in this area. To assess the effectiveness of an end-of-life care exercise integrated into clinical clerkships, we compared the level of preparedness in end-of-life care reported by students who did or did not complete the exercise. A greater proportion of students who completed the exercise compared with those who did not felt prepared in end-of-life care [50.7% (39/77) vs 35.6% (64/180); P = .02]. Among 5 domains of skills examined, significant differences were seen in interviewing/communicating (3.7 vs 3.5; P = .05) and management of common symptoms (3.3 vs 3.0; P < .01). We conclude that a ward-based integrated end-of-life care exercise may improve graduating students' self-reported preparedness to care for patients at the end of life.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Internal Medicine Associates, 789 Howard Avenue, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. matthew.ellman@yale.edu
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ellman
authors.forename: Julie R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cherlin
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods*